Device for automatically opening the breech of a gun with a recoiling barrel.



K; VLLTAR. h l DEVICE FUR AUTOMATIGALLY OPENING THEJ'BREEGE'OP A GUN WITH A REGOILING BARREL.'

v APPLIOATIoy 115mm JAN.17,1907. 1,108,536.

Patented Allg. 25, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WlTNESSES Tm RNW:-

Y K. VLLBR. .DEVGE FOR AUTOMATIGALLY OPENING THB BREECH OP A GUN WITH A RECOILING BARREL.

APPLICATION FILED IAN, 17,1907. n l .I lgw @25,1914- HAT-Tl] RNEY f I y WLM@ K; VLLER. y DEVICE PORAUTOMATIGALLY OPENING. THE BRBEGH OE A GUN WITH 'A RECOILING BA BREL.

TAPPLICATIONY FILED IAN.1.7, 1907. Patented Aug'. 25, 1Q

wirN S SES K. V'O'LLER. DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIGALLY OPENING THB BREEGH 0F A GUN WITH A RECOILING BARREL. `APPLICATION FILED JAN 17. 1907.

'(1,1g539, y Y Patend Aug. 25, 19m I l 4 SHBETSSHBBT 4.

zNVENT'mR wmmm am Winnen, er misent-neer, GERMANY, seremos 'ro nnmmsonn mierennezm mesommnremn, or DUSSELDORF-sneeuwen, GERMANY.

son, enroiaerrcerrr OPENING THE rammen or A GUN WITH A Encounter Patented Aug. 25, 19ML eratedby a screw, Fig. 11 being a sectional BARREL.

f Q ,ipm' peticatxon o Letters Patent Application le January 17, 1907. Serial No. 352,76?.

To 'whom t m. concern:

it tmown .tust KARL VLLER, engineer,y e subject of the German Emperor, residing at l? Jlicherstrasse,.Dusseldor Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n evices for Autometicaly penin. the yBreech of a. Gun with a lierre 5 an?" do hereby declare the iolowing to be a uil, clear, end exact deserintien of the invention, such es will enabie skilled in the art to which it apto ineke and use the same. l invention relates to a device for autemjeticelly opening the breech of e gun with reooiling barrel, in which the movement of the barrel in its recoil or return automatr nelly turns the lever and thus opens the breech. is the known devices of this hind the lever hasbeen moved by the recoiling or returning barrel throi vh the agency of a seriesoflevers und ro s. These latter, however, complicate the device and are uncertain intheir action.

According to the present invention the breech is opened by the return or recoil of the barrel automatica]li'v in a simple and certain nimmer; for this purpose a catch which holds the lever in the closing position engages in a guide which is so constructed that at e. certain position it causes a turning et the lever and thus the opening of the breech.

in the accompanying drawings several modiications of the invention are shown by way ot example.

Figures 1 to o' show the application of the invention to a Wedge shaped breech closure, Fig'. l being a sideelevation and Fig. 2 a rear View of the barrel on its cradle. Fig. 3 a sectional plan showing the breech closed. Fig. i is.e'sectional'plan showing the breech open. Figs, 5 and (5 ldion' in sectional elevation and plan respectively a closing leverpf drawn to an enlarged scale. F T to 10 show a niodication of the breech with wedge closure, Fig. T Being a sul@ olevntion,

and Fig. a rear view of the barrel on its cradle,f\vhile 9 and 10 aife scctioiial' plans showing Ithe breech open a'no closed respectively. Figs. 11, 12 and 13 show the application of the invention to a breech oprear view of the barrel on its cradle. Fig. 12 is a sectional plan thereof. Fig. 13 is a sectional view of a detail. Figs. 14 to 17 show a further modification for a Wedge shaped closure, wherein the device for fiuto-4 matically opening can be put out of action. Fig. 1.4 is a side elevation, Fig.V 15 a rear view, Fig. 16 a plan. Fig. 17 is also a plan, the device being put out of action.

ln the construction shown in Figs. 1-6, the recoil Iof the barrel is applied tor automatically opening. The lever a is journaled in the breech, and is subject tothe action of a spiral spring c (Figs. 5 and 6) which tends to turn the lever into theopening position. In order to keep the breech closed when' the barrel is at rest, a. bracket l is fixed to a side of the cradle and in this bracket there, is a groove e open at its rear end, and running parallel to the a'Xi's of the barrel. YVhen the breech is closed, the catch or pin g of the handle lock f engages in this groove e, .so that automatic opening is impossilole,I while by gripping the lock f by hand, and then turning the lever, opening can be effected. When thebarrelrecoils, the pin 5./ is guided in the groove e until the shot and the products of explosion have left the barrel. The length of the groove e is Xed to suit these firing conditions. As soon as the pin g has left the groove e, the lever becomes turned into the opening position by the spiral spring c, so that the breech opens. When the barrel returns, the next shot is .int1' .\duced into the breech and the Wedge b is closed by `gripping the lock fand turning the lever until pin g can again spring into the groove e. In determining the length of the groovee it must be remembered that after prolonged firing, the barrel does not return completely7 to its original foremost position, so that the baclnrard travel of the upin gf may be somewhat shorterathan that necessary to take it to the end of the groovel c. This fact need not detract from the usefnlness of the construction if the groove e is made long enough to insure that the 'wedge only opens when the products of explosion have left the barrel.` In the form shown in F igs.4 7-1O the recally opening.

turn of the barrel is utilized for automati- In this case also the pin g of the handle lock f slides in a groove e in the bracket d. This rectilinear groove e is open at its rear end, but not freely open. It rises gradually rearwardly (Fig. 7) so that the pin l(/when the barrel recoils, slides without hindrance over the rear end of the groove. In this case the lever is not subject to the action of the s iral spring sothat it `is not turned when tie pin g has left the groove e. When the barrel returns, the pin g enters a curved groove 7L in the surface of the bracket (Z. The outer end of the groove is in the same straight line as the groove e', and owing to its curved form the pinis deflected in such a manner that the lever a is turned and the breech opened Fig. 10). The curve of the groove h is such that the opening is complete before the end of the return movement.

Figs. 1,1*13 show the invention as applied toa screw lock. In this case-the 'lever e' has a toothed wheel if; on the lower end of its pivot, which engages with a toothed segment Z. This toothed segment turns on a pivot in an'extension m of the breech, and is provided. with a vertical spring pin n. This pin engages in a curved groove o and is turned by this so that the toothed segment turns through an angle of 90. By means of a toothed wheel 7c this turning movement is transmitted to the lever z'. The front end ofthe groove o ismade to slope upward when this is desirable.l For this purpose the rear 'part df of the bracket d is pivoted ,on the pin q. The rear parts of the groove e and of the curved groove h are carried on this piece d. The latter is fixed in the horizontal` position by means of a spring bolt 7' which extends through the immovable p'art of the bracket t and through a perforation s in an arm t fixed to the piece el. lVhen the bolt r is withdrawn, the piece d falls into the position shown in dotted lines in Figs. 14 and l5, in which position it is held by the springing of bolt r into the perforation u in the arm t. lVhen the piece d is turned down into the position shown in Fig. l7xand in dotted'lines in 14, the pin g returns into the groove c when the barrel returns and the lever remains in the4 'closing position. In this case opening the the ascertained the nature of my said inven tion and in what manner the saine is to be performed, I declare, that ,wh at I claim is l.. In a device for autoi'natically opening the breech of a gun having a recoiling bai rel, the combination with a closing' leve/rf of a locking device mounted on the hand" end oi' the closing lever, a two-part guide for the closing lever hinged together by a horizontal pin and adapted to be engaged by the locking device, a detachable bolt for securing the two parts oli the guide in. an operative position, said guide arranged to operate the closing lever at a certain position of the barrel.

2. In a breeoho ening 4device for guns having a recoiling barrel, the combination, with a closing lever, of a locking device mounted on the closing lever, a guide 2nemher mounted to swing downward about an airis transverse to the axis of the gun. and arranged to be engaged by said lecking devicewhen in its elevated. position, the guide member being arranged when elevated to' loperate the closing lever during eounter-re coil, and releasable means for locking said` swinging guide member in its elevated position.

3. In .a breech-opening device for guns having a recoiling barrel, the combinationwith a closing lever, of a locking device mounted on said lever, a horizontal pm whose axis is transverse to the axis of thev gun, a swinging cuide member hingedA on the horizontal pinlliaving its axis transverse to the axis oit the barrel, said guide-member when in its'elevated position being enga ed by said lockingdevlce, 'the guide inem er arranged when 'elevated to operate the closin lever to open the breech during counteru recoil. y

1. In a breech-opening device for guns having a recoiling barrel, the combination with a closing lever, of a, locking device mounted on the lever, a swinging guide member hinged on e horizontal pin having its axis transverse to the axis-of the barrel, said guide-member when in. its elevated po-. sition being' engaged by the locking device, a detachable bolt to secure said guide member in its adjusted elevated position, the' guide member arranged when elevated to-7 and having guide groovesin the upper sur face of said parts,a breech operatnu lever,

and a locking mounted in sai lever lll) and engaging the guide grooves,l tlie said In testimony whereof l limehlieieunto grooves being arranged when the swinging :illixed my Signature iii tlie presence of tivo part of the bracket is raised to liold the witnesses. -v lever normally in its closed position and to KARL VLLER- throw the saine to the open position during Tv`Vitnesses: l

the. movement of the barrel of the gun due ALFRED POHLMEYER,

to recoil and return. PETER LIEBER. 

